Tube-cutter.



E. C. HELLER & A. J. EMRICK.

TUBE CUTTER.

APPLIoATIoN FILED JUNE 12, 1909,

Patented May 3, 1910.

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TUBE CUTTER.

APPLIOATIOH FILED JUNE 12 Patented May 3, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMANUEL CORNELIUS HELLER AND ART ENAOUS JEFFERSON EMRICK, OF GERMAN- TOWN, OHIO, ASSIG-NORS OF ONE-THIRD TO WILLARD LINCOLN HUTCHINSON, OF

GERMANTOWN, OHIO.

TUBE-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led .Tune 12, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910. Serial No. 501,834.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, EMANUEL CORNELIUS HELLER and ARTENAOUS JEFFERSON Emmen, citizens of the United States, residing at Germantown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tube-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tube cutters, and it has particular reference to a device of this class which can be specially adapted for cutting the tubes in water tube boilers into short lengths that may be readily removed at the furnace doors, when such tubes are to be removed and replaced by new ones, one object of the invention being to provide a tube cutter of this characterI which shall be simple in construction, easily mounted in position for operation, and thoroughly effective in use.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the said tool that, by dispensing with certain portions thereof, it may be conveniently and effectively utilized for the purpose of cutting the lues of an ordinary steam boiler.

Still further objects of the invention are to so construct the tool that it may be readily dismembered and conveniently packed or stored in a comparatively small space.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear' as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same eon sists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention; it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the invention may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the improved tube cutter applied in position for operation with reference to one of the tubes of a water tube boiler. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the adaptation of the invention with reference to one of the flues of an ordinary steam boiler. Fig. 3 is a side Fig. et is an end view of the same. Fig. 5 is a side view of one of the cutter carrying levers. Fig. G is a plan view of the same. Fig. 7 is a side view of the supporting member whereby the tool is held in position for operation with reference to a water tube boiler. Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken transversely through the tubular shank of the tube cutter and showing, in elevation, the ratchet mechanism whereby the device is rotated.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference. The cutter head A` of the improved device consists of a sleeve 12 having a plurality of radiating wings 13 with arcuate outer faces 111 forming arcs of a circle the diameter of which should be approximately equal to the internal diameter of the flue or tube that is to be cut in order that the cutter head may be guided for rotation within the same. The sleeve 12 is internally threaded at one end as shown at 15 to enable the cutter head to be detaehably connected with the tubular shank B which is corresporulingly threaded as shown at 1G. The cut-ter head is provided with a plurality of radial slots 17 extending through the wings 13 and serving for the reception of the cutter carrying levers 18 which are pivotally mounted upon pins 19 extending transversely through the wings 13 and are provided at their free ends with terminal out-turned hooks 2O having transverse recesses 21 in which the cutters 22 are supported for rotation; the axes of said cutters being parallel to the axis of the cutter head with reference to which the said cutters will thus be transversely disposed.` The cutter carrying levers 18 are preferably mounted adjacent to what would be regarded as the front end of the cutter head, and they are forced inwardly within the latter by the action of suitably arranged springs 23, thus throwing the cutters normally within the perimeter of the cutter head, the side walls of the slots of which are provided with notches 2l to accommodate the cutters. The tubular shank B, with the front end of which the cutter head is detaehably connected as hereinbefore stated, is composed of two or more sections 25, 25', which are connected in axial alinement at their meet- .ing ends by means of a sleeve or collar 26 internally engaging the tube sections which latter are rigidly connected with the sleeve or collar 26 by suitable fastening means such as set screws 27, 27. This construction enables the tubular shank to be readily disassembled when occasion shall require as will be hereinafter set forth.

For the purpose of actuating the cutter carrying levers to force the free ends of said levers in an outward direction against the tension of the springs 23, there is provided a conical expanding member 28 the base of which is of a diameter approximately equal to the internal diameter of the bore of the cutter head within which the said expanding member is movable. Extending from the apex of the conical expanding member is a terminally screw-threaded shank 29 which is detachably connected by means of a nut 30 with the forward end of the expanding rod C which extends axially through the tubular shank B, said expanding rod being inte-rmediately supported and guided by the tubular connecting sleeve 26 through which it extends. The expanding rod C is composed of two or more sections 31, 31 which are screwthreaded adjacent to their meeting ends as shown at 32, 32 and separably connected by a nut 33. r1 he rear end of the rear section 31 of the expanding rod extends through a tubular plug or guide 34 which is shrunk or otherwise firmly secured in the rear end of the rear section 25 of the tubular shank, the rear extremity of said section 31 being screwthreaded as shown at 35 for the reception of an operating nut 36 bearing against the plug or guide 34 and provided with handles 37 whereby it may be conveniently rotated for the purpose of imparting longitudinal movement to the rod C and to the expanding member carried thereby. It is to be understood, of course, that the expander rod sections are not in threaded connection with the sleeve 26 and plug 34.

Securely mounted upon the tubular shank B, adjacent to the rear end of the latter is a sleeve or collar 38 having a ratchet flange 39; said sleeve or collar being mounted securely but detachably upon the shank B by fastening means such as a set screw 40. The sleeve or collar 38 affords a bearing for a lever 41 having a pivotally s upported spring actuated pawl 42 that engages the ratchet flange 39 by means of which the collar 3S, the shank B and the cutter head A may be rotated. An annular guide member 43 serves to retain the lever or handle 41 in position upon the collar 3S, with which said guide member is connected by a set screw 44.

A tubular supporting member D is provided whereby the tool or implement may be effectively supported in operative position with reference to a water tube boiler, the header plates of which have been indicated at E, F in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The tubular supporting member D which affords a bearing for the tubular shank B is confined between collars Gr, Gr that are secured detachably upon the shank B by means of set screws 54 and said tubular supporting member is provided with an inclined flange 45 having an annular offset or shoulder 46 engaging the aperture 47 which is formed in 70 the outer header plate F in registry with a tube a portion of which appears at 48 in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The supporting member D takes the place of the cap which is ordinarily used to close the aperture 47, and the said supporting member is secured in position by means of hooked bolts 49 the shanks of which extend through the flange 45.

The operation of the invention with reference to a water tube boiler will be readily understood from the foregoing description taken in connection with Fig. 1 of the drawf ings, by reference to which it will be seen that the tool or implement is supported for rotation by the supporting member D in axial alinement with the tube that is to be cut. It will be quite evident that by making the tubular shank B and the expanding rod C sufficiently long, the cutter head may be located at any desired point within the tube, thus enabling the latter to be cut into short lengths or sections which may be readily movable at the furnace doors.

The operation of the tool will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which theV in- Yention appcrtains; by manipulatingthe nut 36 the conical expanding member will actuate the cutter carrying levers, forcing the cutters into engagement with the inner walls of the tube which will then be cut by rotating the cutter head and the tubular` shank by means of the pawl and ratchet mechanism provided for this purpose.

`When the implement is to be utilized for other purposes than for cutting tubes of water tube boilers, such as for the purpose of cutting the flues of an ordinary steam boiler, the nut 36 is detached from the rear section 31 of the expanding rod, and said rear section as well as the connecting nut 33 are detached from the forward section 31 of the expanding rod. The rear section 25 of the tubular shank B is detached from the connecting sleeve 26 by loosening the set screw 27 and the nut 36 is then adjusted upon the screw-threaded rear end 32 of the forward section 31 of the expanding rod which, it will be understood, extends through and some distance in the rear of the connecting sleeve 26 which latter will now constitute a bearing for the nut 36 to operate against. The collar 3S carrying the pawl and ratchet mechanism is mounted upon the rear end of the forward section 21 of the tubular shank prior to adjustment of the nut 36, and the tool will then be found complete for operation upon the flues of an ordinary steam boiler one of which has been shown at 15 in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, the operation and advantages of this invention will be readily understood. The construction is simple, and the facility with which the improved implement may be adapted and utilized for various purposes will be appreciated by those 'famihar With the use of this class of devices.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. In a tube cutter, a cutter' head, a plurality of cutters carried thereby, an expanding member movable longitudinally through the cutter-head, a tubular shank connected detachably with the expanding member and composed of a plurality of sections connected in axial alinement, means for guiding the expanding rod through the tubular shank, a nut engaging the expanding rod and bearing against the guide means, means ior rotating the tubular shank and the cutter head, and a supporting member for the tubular shank comprising a collar having an obliquely disposed shouldered flange, and hook bolts extending through the latter; and means for supporting the tubular shank for rotation and against longitudinal movement with reference to the supporting member.

2. In a tube-cutter, a cutter-head, a plurality of cutters carried thereby, an expanding member movable longitudinally through the cutter-head, a tubular shank detachably connected with the expanding member and composed of a plurality of sections connected in axial alinement, means for guiding the expanding member through the tubular shank, a nut engaging the expanding member and bearing against the guiding means, means for rotating the tubular shank i 

